Sb1 FCU Sets Up Housekeeping at Philadelphia Navy Yard

This old house is now a new branch for Sb1 Federal Credit Union at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.

The $562 million Sb1 Federal Credit Union has opened a new branch in an old house in a reviving business neighborhood at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.

The 2,600-foot branch occupies a former house on the property and the 31,600-member credit union found creative ways to use its heritage, including hanging on the walls maps and drawings it found in the basement, said the credit union’s marketing communications specialist, Syreeta Lockett.

The full-service branch also includes a coffee shop, Wi-Fi and 24-hour ATM. The historic shipyard was the Navy’s first and operated on the site until 1995. In 2000, it was taken over by the city of Philadelphia and has been the focus of a commercial and industrial revitalization effort since.

"Our move to the new location allows us to continue to serve our original sponsor, GlaxoSmithKline, as well as to conveniently serve the Navy Yard population,” said Tom Swierzy, Sb1’s president/CEO.

"Historically, Sb1 was open only to select employer groups and their families. Now anyone who lives, works, or attends school in Philadelphia, south of Lehigh Avenue, is able to bank with Sb1.This new location will allow us to continue to grow within the Philadelphia community and provide an exceptional breadth of lending, saving and investment products and services," Swierzy said.

This framed feature on the wall of the new branch was one of the artifacts left behind by the Navy attracts attention. It's a blueprint for a bomb shelter.